Tofu Bolognese

Yes, Tofu Bolognese is a thing. It’s a very delicious thing that you should make immediately.

I grew up in a household where whenever we didn’t know what else to make for dinner, or we were feeling lazy, or tired, or hungry, or it was Monday, or Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or even Friday, we would make pasta. Sure, we had other meals some nights, but who needs them when you could just have pasta? Probably the worlds most perfect food in my opinion. I’m pretty sure I could eat pasta every day and I would still love it.

Thinking back, I always loved pasta sauces with meat in them. My dad always preferred pasta without any meat in them… my how the times have changed… So whenever we went to restaurants, I would hunt the menu for something along the lines of a meaty, tomato-y, spicy pasta and order, then devour said pasta dish.

Just because I went vegan, doesn’t mean that I don’t love that satisfying hearty bowl of goodness. Except now it’s even better because no one had to die, it’s cholesterol free, lower in fat, higher in fiber, and the best part, it’s so freaking lick the bowl scrumptious. Ohmygoodness, I just had Tofu Bolognese for dinner last night and these pictures make me want it all over again. (Am I allowed to drool over my own pictures)?

I learned this trick of crumbling the tofu and drying it in the oven from The Sexy Vegan Cookbook by Brian L. Patton. If you don’t have this cookbook, you should pick up a copy. Unfortunately, it lacks in pictures which makes me sad (I ♥ pictures), but the recipes are pure comfort food goodness. If you are cooking for a carnivore type person, this is the book that might help them change their minds. I find the recipes can be a little complicated and require a lot of spices, but when I’m in the mood I bring the sexy vegan to the kitchen with me, and he never disappoints. Yeah, I went there.

To make Tofu Bolognese: Start by grabbing a large bowl, whisk together the seasonings to make this kinda paste like stuff.

Drain the block of tofu, no need to press it first, it will dry out in the oven anyway. Break off chunks of tofu and use your fingers to crumble the tofu into small pieces. It’s easiest to do this with two hands, but I had to take a photo of the process and I didn’t have three hands at that particular moment. #FoodPhotographerProblems

Once you have crumbled all the tofu it will look something like this. Tah dah! (I know, so impressive).

Combine the tofu with the seasoning making sure all of the tofu is evenly coated.

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper (I ♥ parchment paper), or lightly grease the baking sheet. Spread the tofu evenly across the sheet in a thin layer.

Bake the tofu for 35 to 45 minutes, stopping every now and then to give it a stir. Keep a close eye on the tofu as nears the end of baking time so that it doesn’t burn. The tofu will have shrunken quite a bit in size, and browned up nicely. The smaller pieces will be darker and some may even be a bit crispy. The larger pieces will be lighter and softer. I like this because it adds nice variation in texture. Store or use right away.

When you are ready to enjoy your dish, heat your tomato sauce in a pan. I like a spicy tomato sauce, but you can go with whatever kind you’re into.

Stir in the tofu crumbles and heat through. The tofu will suck up some of the sauce, so if it gets a bit thick, just add water to thin as needed. If you find that there are some crispy bits in the sauce and you aren’t into that kind of thing, simmer for longer to soften. Serve over pasta with a bit of Parmegan and devour.

Preheat your oven to 350F (180C). Line with parchment paper or lightly grease a large baking sheet.

Mix the nutritional yeast, soy sauce, olive oil chili powder, garlic powder, and liquid smoke together in a large bowl. It will make a brown paste-like texture.

Crumble the block of tofu with your fingers into the bowl along with the seasoning. Mix the tofu crumbles with the seasoning making sure all of the tofu is evenly coated. Spread the tofu crumbles evenly over the pan. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes, stopping to stir the tofu every now and then. Keep a close eye on it towards the end so that it doesn't burn. You want the tofu to be nice and browned. The smaller crumbles will be darker than the larger crumbles, and that's ok because it will provide a variety of texture.

In the meantime heat the tomato sauce, and cook pasta according to package directions. Stir the tofu into the sauce, and heat through. If you find the sauce is too thick, stir in a bit of water until desired consistency is reached. Serve over hot pasta with a sprinkle of Parmegan.

Recipe Notes

Leftover sauce keeps the perfect texture so this dish can be made ahead of time and reheated as needed.

Reader Interactions

Comments

Personally, I thought that for a pound of pasta, more tofu was needed. I didn’t feel like there was that much when I mixed it with the pasta at the end. I was looking to make a dish that had a more balanced protein to carbs ratio.

I bought your book when I was home recently visiting my parents (non-vegans) and we made a few of the recipes when I was there including this one and we all really enjoyed it. They said they will be making it again and I have made it myself since I’ve been home. So good!

Holy moly…my husband who is newly vegetarian (haven’t converted him all the way yet) and can’t stand tofu was truly amazed at this dish! I’ve been vegan for 6 years now and this is the first time I’ve literally licked my plate after spaghetti! I never leave reviews but have been soooo impressed each time I make one of your recipes I have to say thank you, (tear drop from happiness after stuffing my face) and to keep on keepin on!!!

This was so fantastic! I wanted sketti for dinner and didn’t have any meatless crumbles but didn’t want plain pasta with sauce. So I googled tofu bolognese and yours popped up. And, I can tell you I won’t ever try anyone else’s because yours was absolutely perfect! It was super simple, I had everything I needed already, and turned out to be so delicious! Thank you!

This recipe is absolutely fantastic!!! It’s crazy how much the tofu mixture resembles ground beef! I double the seasonings, oil, soy sauce, liquid smoke and add various chopped veggies before baking. Tonight we did peppers and onions. Thank you so much for this recipe! It’s perfection!

I am started to sound like a broken record, but you have done it again! I made this for my wife – who is an outstanding cook – and she loved it as much as I did. The flavor, the smokiness, textures, etc., are unreal. This was so good! As soon as we come back from vacation in Key West I am making the lentil ragu!

Thank you so much – keep the great recipes and smiles coming my friend!

Hi Bonnie, the recipe is correct as written. It makes only a tiny amount of paste which just lightly covers the tofu. Too much and the tofu might not dry out properly and the flavour could be too strong.

This is an older post but I just finished eating a bowl and am so damn satisfied. You have flavor down to SUCH a science and are truly creating dishes. I just sort of dumped with blind faith when it came to the tofu seasonings and didn’t do my usual overthinking/tweaking routine and it was literally perfect.

Just making sure you know that I appreciate this site and all the hard work you do. I imagine this takes lots of taste tests and you wait until you get it just right 🙂 I’ve made a few of your other recipes and had similar results but this one especially hit the spot since I’m Italian American and was deeply craving simple meat sauce and this was even better! Thank YOUUUUU! <3

Aww that’s so awesome!!! Thank you so much, Jenny!!! Thrilled you are enjoying my recipes so much. You are right, I do a LOT of recipe testing to get the recipes just so. It’s a joy and I’m so happy I can help people enjoy delicious vegan food. Thank you so much for your lovely comment 🙂

Hi Anna, it sounds as though your oven might be running a bit cool? Hard to know without being in the kitchen with you, but as long as you drain off the excess water, and then crumble it up with the seasoning it should dry out wonderfully. Sorry it didn’t work for you!

It’s possible. I actually ran my oven at 400 degrees F for the second half of cooking but I think if I run the oven at 450 next time and dry out the tofu then I might achieve crispiness! Thanks for your reply.

Are u serious??? This is so amazing. The entire family devoured this, even my meat-loving dad! He hardly spoke during dinner because he was chowing down!! And those tofu crumbles are so versatile; I use them for a ton of other recipes now so thank you! My toddler approves. Can I just be you tho? Or borrow you for like a whole month to cook for us?? Your recipes are the best. Thanks for being great

Sam once again you knocked it out of the park! We have been a vegan family of four for a year and a half now and I don’t think it would have been possible without your recipes. Fast, easy, convenient and DELISH!!! This is just another one to add to my list of go-to recipes. Tofu Bolognese was an instant hit in our house!

Haha! I’m not sure how I led you astray here. Yes, bolognese is traditionally a meat sauce, that’s why I called my recipe a “tofu bolognese” to make clear there was no meat, and it was made from tofu. This is a vegan blog and I write vegan recipes so there is no meat in my recipes, ever. There was no murdering going on here, that’s the whole point 😉 If you were looking for a traditional bolognese recipe with meat, probably best to stay away from a vegan blog.

Hi Sam, Made this dish for two of my grandchildren. It was the bomb. I don’t like using Veggie Ground Round because it is made from soy protein isolate and has all sorts of other unnecessary stuff in it. Your roasted crumbles are the perfect solution. Thank you once again for a great recipe. Take care, Anne

We’re new to eating all plant-based diet and this recipe definitely hit the spot! I sautéed some onion and garlic to bump up the flavor of the pasta sauce before adding the tofu and it really tasted like Bolognese. I plan to make this quite a lot since I love pasta dishes and this satisfies me as a former meat eater. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

I just made the tofu crumble !!! Wow if you are just starting to eat vegan and you still like meat this is it ! This is the best tofu I have ever made to add to any recipe . Either spaghetti sauce , chili , shepherd pie and the list goes on. Thank you for this great recipe easy to make this is a no brainer .

I will be making the chili next week , it looks so good ! We ate the bolognese last night , i deglazed mine with white wine , I kept asking my husband how do you like the sauce? He said super good ! I asked him 3 times he said why are you asking me that over and over I said there is no meat ! He said I love it , it’s always the good and flavorful recipes that vegans or vegetarians need , I am always in search of good recipes and thus one is truly a winner . If you have a recipe for making seitan let me know . Thanks Brigitte

I make this at least 3 times a month it is so good! Tonight I only had tempeh so I decided to crumble it up use the same seasonings and give it a quick fry in a pan with some walnut oil. It got nice and crunchy and was even better than the tofu which we love! Thanks so much for this go to dinner option!

I’m completely new to being vegan and even vegetarian. I never in my whole life thought I would be but now I am! anyway, this recipe is absolutely amazing, I havent made the sauce yet but just the tofu and oh dear, even my SO keeps picking on it! I couldnt even stop tasting it when it was only coated but not baked yet (no idea if that’s bad!? I’m only in my first ever block of tofu 😉 ) thanks so much for sharing this, it really was very tasty and I will be back to your blog for more for sure x

Welcome to being vegan, and welcome to my blog, Carina!! I too felt exactly the same way, never in a million years thought I would be vegan, and yet here I am, super duper vegan! Haha. So happy you are loving the recipe! No worries about eating the tofu raw, there isn’t anything in the vegan diet that you can’t eat raw! Some things might not be enjoyable, but nothing will make you sick. You know what that means right, cookie dough!!!!!!

Hi! There are plenty vegan things you can’t eat raw like many flours, potatoes, rice, and beans not only must be cooked, but cooked properly or they’ll make you very sick Anyways, I tried the recipe yesterday and will soon be having the leftovers today! I learned somewhere that putting tofu in boiling water for a few minutes then pressing it, gets rid of that… tofu smell Thank you for the recipe (-:

This recipe is FANTASTIC! I have made it twice now, and it is much better (and cheaper!) than bought ‘fake meats’. The only problem that I have is that the tofu tastes so good when it comes out of the oven that it doesn’t all make it into the sauce! The second time I made it I had to double the quantities! Truly delicious, thank you!

I’m not a vegan yet, I’m working on it. And I should probably mention I don’t usually like spaghetti but this recipe was amazing. I used zucchini noodles instead of pasta and this method of cooking tofu is way better than meat.

Wow! What an incredible recipe! I’ve never had anything like it, so delicious! Made it with homemade marinara and served over garlic zucchini ‘noodles’ and it was spectacular! Thanks for sharing this awesome recipe! It’s a new favorite for sure 🙂

This is one of my most favorite recipes EVER! I freeze my tofu and let it thaw, and it is beyond delicious in this. I rave about this recipe whenever I get the chance. I even got my mom (who SWORE she hated tofu) to try it, and guess what… she loved it! I think this is good on the first day, but even better the next. I can’t wait to try some of your other recipes!

Wow ! Made this tonight with my beautiful vegan gf….we all loved it Texture was amazing, and a perfect analog of mince. This is sure to be a regular goto in our house. Thanks for an amazing recipe. I stumbled across this at 3am when I couldn’t sleep.

Made this for the first time tonight and it was amazing! Definitely one of my new go to recipes. The tofu was so good on it’s own it was a challenge not to eat it all before making the rest. I’m recommending this to everyone I know and keen to try more of your recipes

Thanks for sharing!!! I’ve been making this sauce about once a week since I found it 6 month ago. It’s so good. I’ve even frozen the sauce in a single serve container on top of the pasta and it’s thawed and reheated perfectly.

Hi Maria, I haven’t done much cooking with TVP, but since it comes dry, and then needs to be rehydrated, it’s kind of the opposite of this recipe where the tofu is wet, and I am drying it out. So I don’t think it would work in this recipe. Sorry I can’t be of more help!

Hi Maria. You would need to hydrate the TVP first. (Your package may have directions for this) and then add the hydrated TVP to the paste. I think this method could work for you. This is how I make vegan bacon bits. (Hydrate, flavour then redry the TVP)

I’ve been interested in going vegetarian for a long time now – went vegetarian temporarily for Lent last year and surprisingly enough really enjoyed being on a vegetarian diet. Went back to eating meat afterwards but lately eating meat has made me feel queasy so I’ve been toying with the idea of going permanently vegetarian.

This recipe looks amazing. All I need is tofu and garlic powder and I’ll have everything to make tofu bolognese. Just a quick question for you: is the sauce spicy? I’m no good with spice and heat at all, and was wondering whether the chilli powder will make the sauce too much. I also have bell peppers and mushrooms and cucumber in the fridge and was wondering I can add vegetables to the sauce?

Hi Amy! Welcome, and congrats on your possible move towards vegetarianism 🙂 I know when I went vegan I felt SO much better, and I didn’t even know I felt bad before! The bolognese isn’t spicy at all as long as you don’t use a spicy tomato sauce. Absolutely, feel free to sauté the mushrooms and stir them into the sauce. Personally I don’t think cucumber would be very good in the sauce, but you could slice them up and have them as a little snack or side dish. Let me know if you have any more questions or need any support 🙂

Hi Sam. Thank you! I’m also trying to go gluten-free as well as I’m quite sensitive to gluten, so it’s been a huge transition. So far I’m pesco-vegetarian as I’m not cutting out fish and other seafood just yet.

And thanks for responding! I’m just waiting to get nutritional yeast and tofu, and then I can try out the recipe! I’ll try adding mushrooms then but won’t add cucumber as per your suggestion. Are there any other vegetables that might go well with the sauce?

No problem at all. One of my befriends was gluten intolerant and after about 6 months vegan she can actually now eat gluten again! I don’t know if that is something that commonly happens, but I am guessing that her stomach was able to heal. Mushrooms would be great, zucchini and spinach would also be yummy. Enjoy!

This is such an easy recipe and I had so much fun crumbling the tofu and adding the spice paste. The seasonings combo is quite marvelous too! My vegetarian daughter (who is an outstanding cook) is visiting and I had to come up with something to please her sophisticated palate. I just popped a batch of tofu into the oven. Will report back with outcome:) If it tastes anywhere near as delish as it smells, I’m sure it’ll be a gigantic hit.

HA! So I am a vegetarian married to a super picky chicken-killing’ (but otherwise pacifist) husband. Yes, he nicknamed me ‘Vegetable’ (pronouncing the ‘bl’ in a very flattering manner). After many, many tries, this got him fooled we were eating meat tonight! HA! Victory for the cook at last!!

H: ‘…is there meat in this?’ me: (chewing) ‘Hmmm’ H: ‘So that’s the crispy bits?’ me: ‘I used a recipe tonight, that made me out it in the oven first before adding to the sauce. Makes it kinda different, huh?’ (…both munching) H: ‘This is a really special recipe. I like it.’ me: ‘Hmmm.’ (carefully concealed inward jump) ‘So I can make this again, huh?’ H: ‘Yeah, it’s good.’ (^ ^)

HOORAY! Thank you Sam. This is my first time on your website, but you nailed it. I’ll be back for more.

So happy you loved it Stacey! Hmmm… I haven’t. My guess is that it would freeze ok though, maybe it would be a little softer that when freshly baked. If you give it a try, let us know how it turns out!

Yay! So happy you enjoyed it. I am assuming the water came from the tomato sauce you used (and not the dried tofu), so to help make it not watery, you can either cook down the tomato sauce more, or try a different recipe or brand. Hope that helps. So happy you loved the recipe!

Hi! I just made this for dinner and it was awesome! I’m a recent vegetarian (since August) trying also to become vegan and this was really yummy. I tried making tofu bolognese before and it a little bland. I have a happy tummy now 🙂 love love your blog! Best wishes

thank you for your kindness. I’m still trying to figure this vegan/vegetarian thing out and where I live (Lisboa, Portugal) nobody seems to know what nutritional yeast is and think I’m crazy and keep telling me there is only beer yeast or bread yeast 🙁 so I’m trying to get some online I’m really curious about the taste as I really miss cheese. I’m learning a lot from your blog and reading new recipes to try 🙂

You’re welcome Andreia! Oh I love nutritional yeast!! That’s unfortunate that it isn’t more available for you, but hopefully ordering it online will work! So happy my blog is helping you. Please let me know if you have any more questions or need any support 🙂

WOW!! This is an awesome way to make little ground meat like crumble things!!!! Next time I would halve the recipe for one jar of pasta sauce, as I like my noodles swimming in sauce. This is perfect for tacos and lasagna too!! Thanks so much for your beautiful, fun blog!!!

Just want to say that I LOVE LOVE LOVE your blog, recipes, everything. You have such a unique, inventive, and colorful perspective on being vegan! I’m super excited to make this recipe for dinner tonight…I’m thinking an arrabiata sauce, zucchini noodles (i’m in love with my spiralizer) and garlic roasted broccoli to go with the tofu!

Awwwww shucks!! Thank you Rachael! <3 It's comments like that, that made me fall in love with blogging! You totally put some pep in my step for the day 🙂 Love the addition of garlic roasted broccoli. Um, yum!!

You did it again Sam. I am no longer surprised! Just totally in love with you and your blog! 🙂 Being Vegetarian for about 15 years, and mostly vegan for about 3 years, I really don’t have any need or desire to add a “meat-like” substitute to pasta sauce. However, the tofu here is just absolutely complimentary and no substitute for anything. Hubby and 2 year old daughter LOVED it and gobbled up every morsel. And the tofu was amazing right out of the oven… I made the tofu at about 2pm for dinner at 5:30pm. The big problem was to NOT snack on the baked tofu morsels between baking it and dinner. My hubs and I agree the baked tofu here would be a great base for tacos too. Hmmm… might just have to try that. 🙂 Thanks for providing inspiration for another great dinner. (PS – I too LOVE parchment paper… can’t believe it took me more than half my adult life to discover this wonderful invention. Baking is just so much more enjoyable on so many levels.)

Hahaha, yay!!! Your comment makes me feel like a million bucks! So happy you love the tofu in this recipe as much as I do, I also have a difficult time not eating all of the little crumbles! haha. I think you’re right about the tacos. I might have to turn it into a taco recipe soon. Thanks again for putting some pep in my step today! 😀

Outstanding recipe. I had to double the seasoning for a 14 oz. block of tofu, 25 oz. sauce, and 12 oz. org. wheat/flax seed spaghetti. I also added about 1/4 cup pasta water. Glad there are lefovers. 🙂

Oh my, that looks so delicious! I think I’m inspired for what is for dinner tonight. But really, I totally agree on pasta being the best bc it’s so easy. Plus, carbs ❤️ Can’t wait to read more of your recipes!

The pictures for this looked so amazing, I had to run out and get a block of organic extra firm tofu right away! It was just under $2, so it didn’t make our meal that much more expensive either. I have homemade vegan parmesan already made and in the fridge, and I’ll make my homemade pasta sauce to fold the tofu “meat” into tomorrow. The tofu is baking right now. It smells great!

Thank you! I was just feeding myself, so I only made a small batch for me, and saved the leftover sauce for the next dinner… ok I admit it, I ate it for breakfast.. The rule of thumb is around 2 ounces per person, but I always do a bit more than that, because I love a big bowl of pasta! Hope that helps!

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating

Comment

Name *

Email *

Website

Primary Sidebar

Search this website

FREE VEGAN RECIPES

Subscribe for new recipes every week + more goodies such as giveaways and videos. ❤

E-Mail Address

Hi friends!

I'm Sam, welcome to my blog! Here you'll find my favourite fuss-free vegan recipes. You might be surprised to hear that the moment I decided I was going to go vegan, I was completely and utterly bummed about it. Here's my story →

Footer

Stay Connected

Copyright

I love when you share! All of the images and text on this site is the property of It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken. Feel free to share photos and quotes with a link back to my original post. Do not share entire recipes, large bodies of text, or edit my photos in anyway without first obtaining permission from me. Social media shares are always welcome. Thank you!

Affiliate Link Disclosure

On this site, I sometimes use affiliate links. This means that if you were to make a purchase through one of these links, It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken would receive a small cut, at no cost to you. This helps support the work I do here. Thank you! :)